Shock absorber



Sept. 28, 1948. w. J. osTERHoUDT SHOCK ABSORBER Original Filed Nov. 17, 1942 g woe/nm WALTER 5J OSTERH OUDT mmd FNM MNH Nd @NH Patented Sept. 28 '1948 UNITED STATES PATENT AOFFICE SHOCK ABSORBER Walter J. sterhoudt, Houston, Tex.

Original application November 17, 1942, Serial No. 465,892, now Patent No. 2,377,442, dated June 5,

1945. Divide d and this application March 28, 1945, Serial No. 585,272

7 Claims.

The present application is ajdivision of my copending application, Serial No. 465,892, illed November 17, 1942, now Patent No. 2,377,442, dated June 5, 1945.

The invention of the present application relates to a new and improved tension shock ab binations. such as with diving and salvaging equipment, cranes, derricks, towing lines and various other types of tension cables.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a tension shock absorber which is internally balanced and self-adjusting throughout a wide range of variations in static tension, yet which will invariably function to cushion and absorb sudden increases in tension applied to the line.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a tension shock absorber, means for quickly restoring the shock absorbing devices to their original condition and positions, when an abnormal shock or load condition has been terminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shock absorber which can be readily shifted in its position, so that, if the direction of pull changes, the shock absorber is directly in line between the source and the support to which it is aillxed,

Still another object is to provide simple means for adjusting the shock absorber to accommodate a wide variation in the degrees of shock to be.

most effectively absorbed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a shock absorber designed for use with towing cables or the like, adapted to relieve such a cable of suddenly increased stresses and strains imposed upon it when towing a vessel of any kind, such as a submarine vessel of the type described in my parent patent identified above.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention 'will be apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of a shock absorber, showing its attachment to a davit or other substantially fixed support, and its attachment to a line-holding clevis or the like;

Figure 2 is a sectional view along line |4|4 of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a detail view of the pivotal interconnection between the arms or toggle links of the shock absorber.

The cable shock absorber shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive comprises a pair of interconnected toggles l i3, ||3a, one of which is secured at its iulcrum to some support such as a davit |20 by a ball and socket connection |2|, so formed as to permit the assembly to pivot freely in all directions, and the other oi' which is connected at 1o its fulcrum by a clevis |33 to a drawbar, sheave or other tension producing device.

The remote ends of the links of the toggles are pivotally interconnected by pin-and-clevis connections shown in detail in Figure 3 and are held separated or extended by concentric pairs of springs |22 and |23, the springs of each pair being right and left hand wound, respectively, to re- `duce any tendency to twist the assembly. The

outer ends of these springs seat in annular grooves of caps |24 which abut shoulders |25 on piston rods |26. Each rod |26 carries a piston |21 reciprocable toward and from the other piston in a iloating cylinder |28, the ends of which are closed by screw threaded heads |23, which compress copper gaskets |30 against an internal shoulder in the wall of the cylinder adjacent the end. A rubber or neoprene packing |3| seals the cylinder at each end with the assistance of packing |32. The gland nut |33 at each end,

which retains the packing is formed with an annular groove in which the coil spring |22 is seated.

The cylinder |23 contains air, gas, mixtures of air or gas and suitable liquids, or oil of selected viscosity which, in travel of the respective pistons 35 toward each other, pass through a dashpot opening |34 in each piston to check its movement and to supplement the retarding action of the springs |22 and |23. A series of such ports |34 of graduated size may be suitably provided in eachpiston and all but the one in each which is of a size for most emcient action with the dashpot iluid used and the load applied are then plugged as by screws |35.

-lor free retraction of the pistons when load tending to compressor collapse the toggles is relieved, each piston has another port |33 in which a ball check valve |31 is retained by a cage |38. The port |36 flares outwardly toward the face of the piston whereby, as the pistons approach each other when the toggles are collapsed inwardly in lateral direction, the ball valve |31 closes the port |36 and al1 iiuid passing the piston is required to iiow through the dashpot passage l34. Upon retraction of the piston when 5b the load is released andthe toggles resume their normal, extended position, the pistons are retracted and the respective ball valves |31 open to permit the free passage of the fluid into the space therebetween.

The fulcrum of the toggle ||9a is connected for angular movement and rotation, as previously described, by means of ga ball and socket joint, while the fulcrum of the other is connected by clevis |39 to a drawbar, sheave or other means to which a load is applied.

As stated above, the oating cylinder |28 may be iilled with air, gas, or a mixture of. air or gas with a suitable liquid. In compression, the gas or air will cushion the initial shock and will quickly pass through the dashpot orifice in each piston, whereas the viscous and slowly acting liquid will be trapped between the two piston faces and will pass through the orifices more slowly. The term iluid used in the claims is to be understood as having its broadest meaning, covering a gas, a liquid or mixtures of the two.

By the selection of the proper strength ol springs and by suitable size and weight of material, the shock absorber of the present invention has a wide range of applications. A small, weak-springed, light weight, air or gas lled shock absorber will reduce acceleration shocks ranging from a few ounces to several pounds, while a large, heavy spring, heavy duty, oil filled shock absorber, will reduce acceleration shocks ranging from several hundred pounds to many tons.

It must be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings and described above, but includes all modications coming within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

I claim:

1. A tension shock absorber adapted to be interposed between a substantially fixed support and a source of tension such as a line, cable or the like, comprising two pairs of toggle links having their remote ends pivotally interconnected, means for connecting the fulcrum of one pair of links to the source of tension, a swivel for operatively connecting the other fulcrum to the support, and means interposed between the interconnected ends of the toggle links to resist lateral collapse of the toggles under tension, said means comprising a iloating cylinder, a pair of pistons therein, each having an orice therein, piston rods associated with the pistons, each operatively connected to the adjacent interconnected ends of the toggle links, coil compression springs between the ends of the cylinder and the adjacent interconnected ends of the toggle, and a body of iluid in the cylinder.

2. A tension shock absorber adapted to be interposed between a substantially iixed support and a source of tension such as a line, cable or the like, comprising two pairs of toggle links having their remote ends pivotally interconnected, means for connecting the fulcrum of one pair of links to the source of tension, a swivel for operatively connecting the other fulcrum to the support, and means interposed between the interconnected ends of the toggle-links to resist lateral collapse of the toggles under tension, said means comprising a oating cylinder, a pair of -pistons therein, each having an orice therein, piston rods associated with the pistons, each operatively connected to the adjacent interconnected ends of the toggle links, coil compression springs between the ends of the cylinder and the adjacent interconnected ends of the toggle; a body of fluid in the cylinder, and a valve controlled opening in 4 each piston, permitting substantially free flow of fluid therethrough in-the direction of movement as influenced by said springs.

3. A tension shock absorber adapted to be inter- 'posed between a substantially xed support and a source of tension such as a line, cable or the like, comprising two pairs of toggle links having their remote ends pivotally interconnected, means for connecting the fulcrum of one pair of links to the source of tension, a swivel for operatively connecting the other fulcrum to the support, and

means interposed between the interconnected f ends of the toggle links to resist lateral collapse of the toggles under tension, said means comprising a floating cylinder, a pair of pistons therein, each having an orifice therein, piston rods associated with the pistons, each operatively connected to the adjacent interconnected ends of the toggle links, a pair ofconcentric co'il compression springs interposed between each end of the cylinder and the adjacentinterconnected ends of the toggles, urging the toggles to expanded position, the springs of leach pair being, respectively reversely coiled, and a body of uid in the cylinder,

4. A tension shock absorber adapted to be interposed between a substantially fixed support'and a source of tension such as a line, cable or the like, comprising two pairs of toggle links having their remote ends pivotally interconnected, means for connecting the fulcrum of one pair of links to the source of tension, a swivel for operatively connecting the other fulcrum to the support, and means interposed between the interconnected ends of the toggle links to resist lateral collapse of the toggles under tension, said means comprising a floating cylinder, a pair of pistons therein, piston rods associated with the pistons, each operatively connected to the adjacent interconnected ends of the toggle links, a pair 0f concentric coil compression springs interposed between each end of the cylinder and the adjacent interconnected ends of the toggles, urging the toggles to expanded position, the springs of each pair being, respectively, reversely coiled, a body of Huid in the cylinder and a plurality of dash-not orices in the pistons of progressively differing sizes, selectively plugged, to vary the shock absorbing characteristics of the shock absorber.

5. A tension shock absorber adapted to be interposed between a support and a source of tension, such as a cable, tension line or the like, comprising two pairs of toggle links having their remote ends pivotally interconnected and providing a collapsible parallelogram structure, means for connecting the fulcrum of one toggle to the source of tension, means for pivotallyconnecting the fulcrum of the other toggle tothe support, and means interposed between the interconnected ends of the toggle links for resisting inward collapse thereof, the last mentioned means comprising inwardly extending piston rods having their outer ends pivotally connected to the interconnected ends of the links, ported pistons on the rods, a free iloating cylinder enclosing the pistons and having heads through which the piston rods extend, a spring seat cap carried by each rod in spaced relation to and facing the adjacent cylinder head, and a spring interposed between each head and the adjacent cap.

6. A tension shock absorber adapted to be interposed 'between a support and a source of tension, such as a cable, tension line or the like, comprising two pairs of toggle links having their remote ends pivotally interconected and providing a collapsible parallelogram structure, means for connecting the fulcrum of one toggle to the source of tension, means for pivotally connecting `the fuicrum of the other toggle to the support, and means interposed between the interconnected ends of the toggle links for resisting inward co1- lapse thereof, the last mentioned means comprising inwardly extending piston rods. having their outer ends pivotally connected to the interconnected ends of the links, ported pistons on the rods, a free floating cylinder enclosing the pistons and having heads through which the piston rods extend, aspring seat cap carried by each rod in spaced relation to and facing the adjacent cylinder head, and a pair of concentric, reversely wound coil compression springs interposed between each head and the adjacent cap.

7. A tension shock absorber adapted to be interposed in a tension line, comprising two pairs of toggles having their remote ends pivotally interconnected and their fulcrums in the line of tension, a pair of inwardly extending rods pivotaliy connected at their outer ends to the points of interconnections of the toggles, a piston on the inner end of each rod, a single cylinder enclosing the pistons and having heads slidably embracing the rods, spring seat caps carried by the rods adjacent their outer ends, a pair of concentric, coil compression springs of respectively oppositely wound hand interposed between each cylinder head and the adjacent cap, urging the toggies to 6 extended position, and a body of duid 4in the cylinder, said pistons each having an unobstructed orifice of restricted size therein and a valved orifice, retarding inward movement of the pistons when the tension on-the lines is suddenly increased, but facilitating outward return thereof under the iniluence of said springs when the tension is reduced.

WALTER J. OSTERHOUD REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 178,644 Kelley June 13, 1876 993,394 Munn May 30, 191i 1,103,084 Ruil y-- July 14, 1914 1,298,243 Miller Mar. 25, 1919 1,631,569 Aldrin June 7, 1927 1,802,411 Dorner et ai Apr. 13, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 193,767 Great Britain ..-Man 1, 1923 438,492 Great Britain Nov. 18, 1935 452.217 France Mar. 3, 1913 496,059 Great Britain Nov. 24, 1938 577.370 France June 4, 1924 

